Historically, Prince William and Kate have shared official images of their children under embargo to the press on the eve of their birthdays.
However, this year, they chose to post George’s new portrait directly on social media on his special day.
This shift first occurred in April for Prince Louis’ sixth birthday, when they posted a photo of him lying barefoot on a blanket on the grass on their X and Instagram accounts. They continued this approach for Princess Charlotte’s ninth birthday on May 2.
The change in how the Waleses release their children’s photographs is believed to be influenced by the family’s current circumstances, including Kate’s ongoing cancer treatment, which was publicly disclosed in March.
This new method also helped avoid the controversy that arose from the Princess’s digitally altered Mother’s Day photo.
In March, Kate issued a public apology after it was discovered that an image taken by William of the Princess with their children had been edited, leading to its withdrawal by picture agencies due to manipulation concerns.
